crush

verb

ˈkrəsh 

crushed; crushing; crushes

transitive verb

1

a

: to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure

crush grapes

b

: to squeeze together into a mass

She crushed her clothes into a bag.

2

: to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding

crush rock

3

a

: to subdue completely

The rebellion was crushed.

b

: to cause overwhelming emotional pain to (someone)

Her insults crushed him.

c

: to oppress or burden grievously

crushed by debt

d

: to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight

4

: crowd, push

were crushed into the elevator

5

: hug, embrace

She crushed her child to her breast.

6

archaic : drink

intransitive verb

1

: to advance with or as if with crushing

The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.

2

: to become crushed

The stewed tomatoes crush easily.

3

obsolete : crash

4

informal : to experience an intense and usually passing infatuation : to have a crush on someone

—usually used with on

She's been crushing on him all summer.

Turns out Fat Monica was motivated to lose all the weight after she overhead Chandler (whom she was crushing on) tell Ross: "I don't want to be stuck here all night with your fat sister."

—Entertainment Weekly

crushable

ˈkrə-shə-bəl 

adjective

crusher noun

crushingly adverb

Synonyms of crush

• mash
• squeeze
• pulp

Examples of crush in a Sentence

Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them.

The bicycle was crushed under the truck's tires.

The machine crushes the cans so that they can be stored until they are recycled.

Her arm was crushed in the accident.

Crush the nuts and sprinkle them on top of the cake.

The rocks were crushed into dust.

Recent Examples on the Web

Third baseman Cooper Nicholson crushed a ball more than far enough for a home run, but just foul into the left field corner. —Alan Cole, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026

That legacy includes crushing both hyperinflation and the Maoist insurgents of the Shining Path, who bathed Peru in blood in the 1980s and 1990s. —Simeon Tegel, NPR, 6 June 2026

Plus, there’s a thick foam inside the seat and back that won’t crush under pressure and provides ample support. —Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 6 June 2026

An avalanche of selling on Friday crushed the stock market, a dramatic reversal from record highs earlier in the week. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crusshen, from Anglo-French croissir, croistre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing crush

• schoolgirl crush

Rhymes for crush

• blush
• brush
• flush
• gush
• hush
• lush
• mush
• plush
• shush
• slush
• thrush
• airbrush

Kids Definition

crush

1 of 2 verb

ˈkrəsh 

1

: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition

crush grapes

2

: hug sense 1

3

: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding

crush stone

4

a

: overwhelm sense 2

crushed the enemy

b

: oppress sense 2

5

informal : to have a strong but often temporary liking

—usually used with on

crusher noun

crush

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of crushing

2

: a crowding together of many people

3

: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation

have a crush on someone